Amazon resumes Google Shopping ads – but not in the U.S.

Amazon restarted spending on Google Shopping ads across its international domains, exactly one month after abruptly pausing them – a move that now looks like a deliberate marketing test.

The details:

• All international domains are once again running Shopping ads.
• The U.S. market remains excluded, raising questions about competitive strategy and channel mix.
• The month-long pause lines up with theories that Amazon was stress-testing reliance on Google traffic.

Why we care. Amazon is one of Google’s largest retail advertisers, and its absence reshaped the auction. When Amazon went dark, clicks rose for other retailers, but ROAS dropped, a study from Optmyzr found. This suggests that Amazon’s presence helps keep traffic more efficient, even for competitors.

The big picture. Amazon’s selective return highlights its ability to flex advertising muscle while experimenting with acquisition costs. For rivals, the U.S. gap could be a rare window to grab market share before Amazon inevitably flips the switch back on.

First seen. This update was shared by Mike Ryan, head of ecommerce insights at Smarter Ecommerce, who credited Ben Wood, head of ecommerce at Currys Ireland, and Adriaan Dekker, Google Ads Specialist at Dertien11.